I am not a believer in New Year’s resolutions. In fact, I’m a huge self-saboteur, so the more goals I set for myself, the more likely I am to fail at all of them and implode. That being said, I consider myself to be relatively healthy and in decent shape for the amount of time and effort I put into my usual routine. So here are some of my gold standards to live by for general wellness:

Water: Drink Shit tons. It’s been said time and time again, but drink your damn water. There is a lot of information out there about how much you need. It used to be eight 8-oz glasses per day no matter your age, weight, or body type. Nowadays, studies show you should have at least half an ounce to one ounce of water for every pound you weigh. So if you’re a 150 pound person, you should have at least 75 ounces of water to hit the bare minimum of your daily water intake goal. But 150 ounces is even better! And coffee and tea don’t count. (I know – it blows.) For me, I go to bed with a huge water bottle on my nightstand. When I wake up, the first thing I do is chug at least 8-12 ounces of water before I even get out of bed. And then throughout the day, you’ll see me running errands with a bottle of water in my purse, in my car, etc. Fill up a hydroflask and make sure to down at least two of those puppies per day. And on a superficial note, you’ll notice your skin looks better once you up your water intake.

Eat your greens. I’ve been a vegetarian since the ripe old age of six, so getting in my veggies has never been an issue. But for the carnivores in my life, I’d recommend starting your day with a dose of Athletic Greens or some other kind of green juice. I like Athletic Greens because you just add a scoop of it to 8-12 ounces of water, shake, and drink, so there’s no hauling out the blender or making a mess. For $15 off your first order, feel free to use my code here! Plus, it has 75 vitamins and minerals in it, so you can reduce having to take handfuls of vitamins. If you don’t like the powdered shit, make your own green juice! My favorite recipe is: 12 ounces of water, a couple handfuls of romaine lettuce, a handful of spinach, 1-2 celery stalks, a squeeze of lemon, and either an apple or banana (or both). If you want it even sweeter, replace the water with coconut water. Put it all in a blender with ice, blend, and bottoms up mother fuckers!

Vitamin C Serum: As soon as I get out of the shower, I put vitamin C serum on my face before putting on my sunscreen. Having melanoma at age 21 forced me into taking better care of my skin and I am here to tell you, you will pay for the sins of your youth if you were a sun worshiper in your teens and twenties. Vitamin C serum helps with reducing dark spots/pigmentation, combats aging, and makes your complexion look less dull and more even. I’ve tried a variety and my favorite by far is Paula’s Choice C15 Vitamin C Super Booster. The smell is light, and you just use the dropper applicator to put a few drops in your palms, rub them together, then apply to your face. One vitamin C serum I do NOT recommend? Scentuals Vitamin C Serum merely because it smells like a butthole. I don’t like when facial serums and moisturizers are heavily fragranced in general, but that particular serum just smelled foul to me as if it had gone sour. No one wants their face smelling like rotten Dannon Yogurt.

Sunscreen: Yep, as basic of a tip as to drink your f’ing water. My favorite facial sunscreen is Glowscreen Sunscreen by Supergoop! That is the one non-negotiable in my beauty routine. I wear sunscreen every damn day – whether I’ve skipped a shower, forgone all makeup, and even when I know I’ll be indoors all day. And the Glowscreen gives a really pretty glow to my face without making me look like I’m ready to attend Coachella.

Get your steps in! I have ants in my pants so this one is easy for me. Plus, as a former retail manager, I am used to being on my feet all day and walking around a lot. When I transitioned to being a stay at home mom, I was afraid I’d double in size due to being more sedentary. But on the contrary, I think I’m in better shape now than when I worked. I do have to make a cognizant effort to move around! I will take multiple trips up and down the stairs putting my kids shit away versus taking armfuls of items up the stairs in one fell swoop. (Or doing what I should do and making the kids lug it all upstairs!) And in the mornings, I wake up, shower, go downstairs to make my daughters their breakfast, run back upstairs to throw laundry in, run back downstairs to make sure their lunches are healthy (when left to their own devices, the nutritional value of their lunches is mediocre at best.) Then, I run back upstairs to clean the litter box, run back downstairs to clean up messes from the night before, run back upstairs to make the beds, etc. I am quite intentional in forcing myself to walk around a lot knowing that often times, it’ll be the only “exercise” I get in that day. The bare minimum of steps I take in a day tends to be 12,000 with the average being closer to 15,000. I use my apple watch to track but there are million step counter options out there.

Vitamins: This is a hot topic in my household as my husband isn’t a big believer in vitamins. He said it goes back to when he read some study that said if you take a lot of vitamins and get cancer, it will spread faster through your body by feeding on all the supplements you’re taking. I haven’t looked into that myself but I did work with a nutritionist a lot last year trying to get my inner workings to a more optimal place. And the vitamins she recommended for me were a game changer. Mainly, I added in magnesium and vitamin D. Going back to the skin cancer in my 20’s, I do try and stay out of the sun and make a point of finding shade or being completely lathered in sunscreen when I am outdoors. Due to that, the only glimpse I get of vitamin D from the sun is when I’m driving in my car, and that wasn’t nearly enough for me. My nutritionist also said that the majority of Americans have magnesium deficiencies and there are so many benefits to having it in your diet. Here is a helpful blurb from healthline about the benefits of magnesium. For me personally, it helps reduce soreness after I work out, helps lower blood pressure, (my dad has high blood pressure so I always worry about that), and reduces inflammation. Keep in mind, I am no doctor so these are just the two supplements that work for me, but everyone is different with varying diets and needs!

Read, listen to music, or tune into your favorite podcasts: There is something to be said about jamming out to your favorite tunes, belting out the lyrics whilst driving around and running errands. As I type this I have my i-tunes playing in the background. If you aren’t into music (you fucking monster) then find a podcast that speaks your language. God knows there are a million out there whether you’re into true crime, celebrity gossip, wellness, travel, or one of my husband’s favorites, The Office Ladies Podcast. Just get out of your own head for awhile!

Reduce tech time at night: I find that when I’ve read before bed versus watching television, I sleep so much better. You don’t need to read for hours, but just a chapter or two of your book of choice relaxes you and keeps you from being exposed to the blue light emitting from your TV or cell phone. When you are continually exposed to blue light at night, it messes with your melatonin levels, thus making your sleep cycle turn to total shit. (It’s amazing I’m not a doctor with how I explain this all, right?)

Self-Care in whatever form that takes for you. For me, it’s the occasional facial. I especially love laser rejuvenation facials from Ochard Med Spa in Castle Rock, CO. (Ask for Brooke – she’s the best!) For one of my best friends, she regularly gets her nails done as her self-care. When I’m busy and strapped for time, my self-care comes in the form of sheet masks. My all-time favorite is Pacifica’s Stress Rehab Coconut Sheet Mask. Or keep it really fucking simple and run yourself a bath after you get the kids down. Bonus points if you toss in Kneipp Mineral Bath Salts. They are practically euphoric and relax your muscles instantly.

Have a bed-time routine. I mitigate stewing in my own juices at night or stressing over my “to-do” list with a simple routine. The non-negotiables for me to complete at night are: Run the dishwasher, prep whatever produce is going into my kids’ lunches the next day, wash my face and moisturize it, floss and brush my teeth, and make sure the humidifier in our bedroom is ready to rock for the night. (In Colorado it’s dry as fuck, so we keep a small humidifier running in our bedroom during the winter. It helps our skin feel better and our throats feel less dry in the morning!) For your routine, it could be as simple as a cup of sleepy time tea, or getting the coffee and water loaded into the coffee pot for the morning. If you keep a routine of any sort at night, it’s a silent cue to your brain that it’s time to unwind and get ready for bed.

These tips are general, and are what work for me, but you can tweak them to suit your needs. I have no licensing or medical background of ANY sort, so keep in mind this is purely what has helped me to be in a better head space. And while we continue to navigate the pandemic, I think we could all use some extra wellness tips in our lives!

Please note – I am NOT sponsored by any of the products mentioned above. I truly am only recommending them because I love them!